Raised in Dungeon



"Good morning, Mr. Peter," Susan called as they arrived.

"Morning."

From that day on, Rodion and Allen became regular guests at Peter's house and would always sleep in his room since Peter chose to stay close to his wife who rested in a chair nearby.

Upon Allen's arrival, he, Rodion, and Susan swiftly organized the less important items in the storeroom. The kitchenware has not been deemed a priority and was placed in the living room to be sorted later.

As Allen was settling in, he retrieved a bag filled with cooking ingredients from the pack.

"Allen, what are you doing?" asked Pascoe who jumped into Allen's back.

"I'm going to start cooking."

"Can I try it too?"

"Didn't you say you hate this because it is a woman's job?"

"That's why I'm going to try it. I'll show you that I can do women's work."

Although Pascoe said that he was playing with Allen out of restraint, but in reality he was really having fun when he was with him. So he became increasingly attached to Allen and started copying whatever Allen was did.

Susan immediately prepared hot water and wiped Iva's body. Once done, Rodion would instruct Susan on what she needed to do to help Iva exercise, such as massaging, pulling shoulders, twisting arms, and so on.

As soon as he was done, Allen went straight to help Peter shovel the snow that had accumulated in the garden.

"I can't see the plants. Are there any possible ways we failed?"

Allen asked because, in the middle of soil month, the stems and leaves of the potatoes looked tall and lush. But strangely, now everything was withered, as if the plants had died. Moreover, they were covered with a little snow as if they were never there.

"Don't worry, that is how potatoes look when they are ready to harvest. What we will eat is not the leaves or stems. It's the seeds inside the soil."

"Does that mean there are a lot of potatoes inside the soil right now?"

"That's right. We can harvest them in a week."

"In a week..."

Peter's curiosity got the better of him as he turned to Allen and asked,

"Are you… probably wanted to see it so bad?"

Allen nodded his head in agreement; accompanied by a smile, as he gazed over the potato garden he had planted.

"I wonder what the thing I've planted myself will turn into."

Peter looked at the big baby with amazement. He loved those moments when Allen said something that should be ordinary but sounded extraordinary once he said it. No wonder; he was a child who didn't know anything yet, so every development made Peter happy with him.

"Do you remember the first time you broke the hoe?" asked Peter out of nowhere, suddenly erasing Allen's smile.

"That time, I really apologized for what I did."

"No need; the money has been reimbursed anyway."

Peter looked back at his garden and said,

"Actually, it was a hoe that our son used; it was a gift I gave to Fenton once he had his coming-of-age ceremony."

Peter did say that Allen shouldn't have thought about it. But somehow, hearing that story made his guilt increase even more.

"You know, that feeling when you hold a hoe? It's a moment when you feel at peace, as if you're one with nature.

But for me, it was a time when I could mourn my son.

Ever since we heard of his death during the dungeon raid, I kept using the hoe I gave him. Whenever I swung the hoe, I felt regret for letting him go to the dungeon that day.

If only I had stopped him.

If only I had listened to Iva's words back then.

If only I hadn't been tempted by the prince's gift back then.

Those thoughts of wishful thinking always popped into my head whenever I used that hoe.

That hoe was one of the precious things he left behind."

A feeling of guilt washed over Allen, not only because of the matter of the precious hoe he destroyed but also because of the possibility that he might have killed Peter's son in his rampage. Every word Peter said was like a knife stabbing straight into his heart. Peter seemed to be blaming him for everything that happened to his son.

"But Allen, you destroyed him. It was a precious thing for me, but also a curse.

At that moment you broke it, I realized...

I should have done it from the beginning.

With the destruction of the hoe, it was like I was released from the shackles that bound me. I stopped thinking stupid things about the past.

The breaking of that hoe was the moment I was freed from my stupid thoughts about that kid. I'm sure that kid wouldn't want me to think that badly of him."

With a heavy heart, Allen then asked

"Do you regret letting your son go to the dungeon?"

"I don't regret anything anymore. Our family was in critical condition at that time because the entire garden had failed, and Pascoe was sick. We were in great need of food, which is why he volunteered to join the dungeon raid with the prince. He wanted to help the family and ensure we could stay happy forever.

So I don't regret anything.

I don't regret anything anymore. Thank you for destroying that hoe."

The sight of Peter's grateful face caused Allen's heart to ache even more, a searing pain that coursed through his body with each passing moment. He knew it would not be easy, but he needed to know what Peter thought about it. With a trembling voice, Allen summoned the courage to ask the question weighing heavily on his mind.

"If, for example, your son was killed in the dungeon and you knew the killer, would you hate him?" Allen asked, bracing himself for the answer that was sure to follow. It was a poignant question that cut to the heart of the matter at hand, revealing the raw emotions beneath the surface.

For Allen was the one who had taken Peter's son, the one who had robbed him of his future and shattered his dreams. The weight of that knowledge hung heavily on Allen's conscience, sending waves of guilt and remorse crashing over him with each passing second.

But he needed to see whether Peter's heart was filled with hate and anger or whether there was still a glimmer of compassion and understanding left in his soul.

Peter, with a smile, answered

"If you mean the black-and-white-mottled child brought by the barony, then I will proudly say

I won't hate him."

Allen's eyes glazed over,  feeling a sudden warmth from all his blood.

"I've heard stories about that boy from the soldiers. On the day of his judgment, I saw that boy. I couldn't believe such a small child was responsible for the deaths of 100 soldiers.

But it was a fact; that kid really killed people.

I was angry, so I took the stone and wanted to pour my anger on that kid. But at the moment I saw the child's face,

That face was unfortunately not the face of someone who kills for no reason. It was one of the saddest faces I've seen in my entire life.

So I stopped my hand and walked home."

Peter looked at Allen, and continued,

"Wherever he is now, may he live a good life."